<><><><><><>
The climate of Alabasta was harsh. Most of the country was a vast desert, with only a few oasis towns supporting a population of over ten million people.
After a fleeting moment of shock and anger, Crocodile's expression turned calm. He looked at Jin, his voice cold.
"You've received word that your ships were attacked, haven't you? A real shame. The seas are full of pirates. But... if you're willing to cooperate with me and leave Alabasta, I'll be so gracious as to purchase your cargo. And, in my capacity as a Warlord of the Sea, I will guarantee the safety of your fleet. How does that sound?"
He laid out his terms.
He assumed that Jin, in his anger and agitation over the news, had rushed here to confront him.
This was exactly what Crocodile had wanted.
His ultimate goal was the Ancient Weapon Pluton, hidden somewhere in Alabasta. He didn't want to make a scene, to attract the attention of the World Government and have his plans ruined. But Jin's presence was an unpredictable variable. And more importantly, this mountain wasn't big enough for two tigers. Crocodile did not appreciate someone trying to eat off his plate.
So he had burned the ships to threaten Jin, to make him leave on his own accord.
"Attacked?"
Under the moonlight, a gentle, sandy wind blew. Jin stood on the back of the bananawani, a serene smile on his face, an almost otherworldly air about him.
"You mean Mr. 1 of Baroque Works? And those other little darlings with the torches, the ones who couldn't find their way?"
Crocodile's expression froze. His pupils contracted. His face turned grim.
Mr. 1 was in trouble...
According to his intelligence, Jin had no reliable subordinates. He was a one-man show.
How the hell did Mr. 1 fail?
Crocodile wasn't a fool. When the news of Hanafuda's defeat had reached him, he had investigated Jin. That's why he had chosen to threaten him directly.
He hadn't expected this. He had been careless.
His face was grim, his mind racing.
Robin stood quietly, even taking a few subtle steps back into the shadows. Don't see me, don't see me...
'A fight would be perfect,' she thought.
Just then, Jin glanced at her.
Robin froze, then forced a relaxed expression.
"Crocodile," Jin said, "The choice is yours. Join us, or... die!"
Alabasta was his.
Anyone who stood in his way would die.
"KUAHAHAHAHA...!"
Crocodile burst out laughing, his fur coat billowing in the sandy wind, his laughter as wild and untamed as the desert itself.
"It's been a long time since anyone talked to me like that, boy." His laughter died down. A chilling coldness entered his dark eyes, a coldness that held the fury of a thousand storms and a complete disregard for life.
"You may have defeated that big lizard Hanafuda, but he and I are not on the same level."
He charged forward, his demeanor imperious, a hint of arrogance and disdain in his eyes. He was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Nobody had ever tried to go against him—or question him.
But now, neither of them was willing to back down.
So, a fight it was!
—————————
Crocodile leaped into the air, his golden hook swinging in a wide, powerful arc.
CLANG!
Jin raised his leg and blocked the blow. He stood there, perfectly calm, unmoving.
"You know," he said, "even if you hadn't come for me, I would have come for you... Mr. 0."
Crocodile was stunned. He couldn't believe it. "How did you know? Mr. 1? Did he betray me?"
In his youth, Crocodile had been just like Luffy, a rising star who had taken the world by storm. At the age of twenty, he had fought Douglas Bullet to a standstill. Shortly after witnessing Roger's death, he had challenged Whitebeard and been utterly crushed.
He'd then started hunting for the Ancient Weapon Pluton. That's when he accepted the invitation to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
For twenty years, he had kept a low profile.
To speed up his search, he had founded Baroque Works, an organization with a vast network of intelligence gathering and assassination that spanned the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line.
The only people who knew his true identity were Mr. 1 and Miss All Sunday.
Jin pushed him back with his leg, then crouched and launched himself from the bananawani's back.
He closed the distance to Crocodile and threw a punch.
FAST!!!
Crocodile, still in mid-air, saw the fist growing larger and larger. It was moving too fast. He couldn't dodge.
His body turned to sand.
The Logia Sand-Sand Fruit.
But from the very beginning, he had underestimated Jin. In the instant he turned to sand, the fist had already landed, square on his chest.
WHAM!
The moment the punch connected, Crocodile's face contorted in agony.
Pain shot through him.
His chest caved in with a sickening crunch as his sternum shattered. Blood erupted from his mouth as he went flying backward, smashing straight through a sand dune.
"HUH?" Robin was stunned. Her eyes were wide as she stared at them, in utter disbelief.
Crocodile's fruit allowed him to turn to sand. No matter how powerful the attack, it should have just passed right through him. Her former pirate crew had been defeated in just that way.
Including her.
Swords, guns... nothing worked against him.
But he had just been sent flying. What had happened?
Crocodile burst from the sand, looking disheveled, his face a mask of rage.
"Haki?" he snarled.
'Haki?' Robin thought, confused. What's that? Can it counter a Logia's elemental form?
"You think that just because you've awakened Haki, you can beat me? KUHAHAHA...!"
Crocodile raised his hand.
"Desert Spada!"
The ground in front of him split open, a clean, sharp cut that raced toward Jin.
Jin, who had just landed, didn't dodge.
"Tempest Kick!"
He lashed out with his leg, and a blade of wind shot out, colliding with Crocodile's attack in a massive explosion.
A small sand tornado formed in Crocodile's palm. He released it, and a sandstorm erupted around them.
"Sables!"
Sand and rock were swept up into the tornado, enveloping Jin, blinding him, deafening him.
Crocodile dissolved into the sand and vanished.
The wind howled, and sand whipped through the air.
This was Jin's first time fighting a Logia user. He didn't rush to attack. He stood calmly, observing.
"Crocodile—" he said, his voice carrying over the roar of the storm, "—you know about Haki. So you should know... you've already lost. Surrender, and I'll make it quick."
Silently, Crocodile's upper body materialized behind him, his lower half a swirling mass of sand. He brought his arm down in a chopping motion.
"Desert Girasole!"
A crescent-shaped blade of sand shot out. Anyone hit by it would have all the moisture sucked from their body, leaving them a dried-out husk.
"I told you," Jin said, "it's useless..."
He spun, lashing out with a kick.
His leg, coated in Armament Haki, was a powerful, unstoppable force.
The wind from the kick tore through the sandstorm, and the rocks on the ground began to levitate, then crack, then disintegrate.
The sight was absurd.
Crocodile's heart pounded. For a moment, he was reminded of that old man, Whitebeard, of his terrifying power...
The kick radiated a crushing pressure that made his heart tremble.
He immediately turned to sand.
But Jin was faster. His foot slammed into him.
The kick connected with the half of Crocodile's face that hadn't yet fully transformed.
A massive shockwave erupted, knocking him out of his elemental state.
He crashed to the ground, leaving a large crater.
"Gah...!"
Blood streamed from Crocodile's head. His vision swam.
The pain was excruciating.
But even more painful than the physical agony was the fact that his elemental form had failed, that he had been so grievously wounded.
His power, his confidence, had been crushed by a young rookie.
"Dammit! I'll kill you!"
Crocodile staggered to his feet, his face a bloody mess. He glared at the approaching Jin and slammed his hand on the ground.
He unleashed the full power of his Sand-Sand Fruit.
<><><><><><>
~ 60 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
~# Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~# Add to Library!